Digi Citizen
Kela
Finnish people have a right to basic social security when their income is threatened, for example, because of unemployment, sickness, or childbirth. Kela’s main job is to take care of basic social security for people who are part of the Finnish social security system. Kela offers many kinds of social benefits, and I think all of us are going to use them at some point in our lives. I’m the only one in our family who uses Kela’s benefits. Previously, when I was a full-time student, I received student financial aid, which included a study grant, student loan, and housing allowance. Now, when I study while working full-time, I only receive meal support from Kela and pay the YTHS annual fee via Kela. I’ve already had a European Health Insurance Card for many years, and I keep it with me whenever I visit abroad.
Omakanta
I used my online banking credentials to strongly authenticate to Omakanta, but you could also use Mobile ID. I’m lucky that I don’t have to use health services much myself, so my use of Omakanta is quite limited as well. Still, I know the system very well because of my work. We use Kanta Services a lot while we treat our patients in primary care. As a user of Omakanta, you can send your prescription for renewal, check your lab results (it would be beneficial to also be able to view laboratory referrals), and read the documentation from health care professionals. You can also enter your self-measurements there, but they are not yet available for professionals via Omakanta. You can also save your organ donor information and living will in Omakanta. I’ve already completed the organ donor information, but I need to give more thought to the living will at a better time. In my opinion, the Kanta services are excellent for Finns and quite advanced compared to many other European countries.
Keva
I logged into Keva’s website, and it was the first time for me ever. According to Keva’s website, I could retire at 68 years and three months old, and my pension would be 1,997 euros. If I were to retire at age 70, my pension would be 2,245 euros. I have to say that this information made me think about life and my working career again…
Digital markets
I compared prices from different online shops (Temu, Shein, Amazon) with the prices of traditional physical stores, and I think it’s clear to all of us that prices are lower in online shops. Of course, shipping fees can increase the prices surprisingly easily, but some online stores even offer free delivery to encourage customers to shop online. There are many problems with online shops, and to mention a few: the quality of products, the ethics and environmental impact of the production chain, employee wages, and working conditions. And the big one is also that we send the money outside of our own country, and Finnish entrepreneurs lose the money they could get from Finnish people.
From the services listed above, I mainly use Booking.com. It’s a widely used website that offers accommodation all over the world. I haven’t had any problems with it, but I’ve heard of a few frauds through that site too, so it’s always important to be careful and check the place maybe via another provider or read previous guests’ reviews.
A digital service in my field
Therapy Navigator is a website used in Pirkanmaa County services to help professionals get a better understanding of patients’ mental health problems when they first contact health care. Patients can fill out the form online and then receive a code, which they can share with a professional so they can read the results. My experience is from a professional point of view, and I’ve found the form especially helpful in chat-based interactions.
For the first time, I tried to fill out the form myself, and my first thought was that it takes more time than I had thought. There were a lot of questions, and they varied depending on how the patient answered the previous one. In my opinion, the form was easy to fill out, but it takes time and focus to get realistic and helpful results. I’ve noticed before that patients have filled it out maybe in a hurry, and the answers are a bit inconsistent. Overall, the form works well, it’s easy to fill out, and it also directs patients to self-help programs available on Mielenterveystalo.
Digital gap
One of the negative aspects of digitalization is the inequality it causes. This can be seen in minority groups’ reduced ability to access digital services. The reasons for this can be money, age, cognitive skills, language barriers, cultural or even geographical differences. If you get left outside digitalization, you may have trouble getting the services you need or you might receive them more slowly. There can even be a risk that the patient won’t try to get help if they feel helpless in the digitalized environment. Maintaining equality in the welfare state is important because, in the end, we all benefit from it. We need to preserve the possibility to access healthcare services without digital tools. For those who just need guidance with digital tools, we need to provide support for their use.
Digital Competence Test
I did the Digital Competence Test and the result was stage four, which describes my digital competence with the words: I’m able to perform well-defined tasks independently and also solve non-routine problems on my own. I feel that I have the skills and knowledge to use digital tools and the digitalized environment safely, but there is definitely room for improvement in every aspect. My weakest points were in the production section, which reveals my gaps in that area. I think the test was well produced and it covered every aspect of digital competence.
Self-reflection
Four main things that I learned while doing this were getting to know my pension, learning to use the Therapy Navigator as a patient, the Digital Competence Test, and English! Kela’s benefits were familiar to me, as was Omakanta. I had already given some thought to online shopping before, and the digital gap is something that comes up often in my daily work. But overall, this was a great learning experience—to gather information, complete the tasks asked, and reflect on them in your post.
Posts I commented on:
https://blogi.savonia.fi/ingachirvanen
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