Me as a digital citizen
Personal experiences with Kela are related to subsidies (studies and children). At the moment, I’m not really involved with Kela other than for work (issuing Kelataksi certificates, directing customers to websites). I received a European medical card as completely new information. I travel a lot, and I have imagined that my travel insurance would be sufficient for me. After reading about it, I decided to apply it for myself and my minor son. After strong identification, the application was completed with a few clicks.
OmaKanta-service has many benefits for both citizens and healthcare professionals. I log in to OmaKanta by using my bank credentials. I can see and check my health information and prescriptions. There I can give and withdraw consents for my own data. You can also save your wishes for organ donation and treatment there. Laboratory results do not always appear there, nor do statements about radiographic examinations. There are also data from the private sector, which improves information management and reduces misunderstandings between different care providers.
Keva was a new acquaintance. My minimum retirement age is 66 years, the target is 68 years. In terms of money, there is a good 200e difference.
Digital shops
I buy almost everything online (clothes, cosmetics). I also do my food shopping in the S-kaupat-online store. I got to know a new online store for me, Amazon. I browsed through cosmetics and curling irons. The price level was even higher in some products, especially branded products. In addition, postage and possible additional fees (customs) increase the price. Didn’t convince me, even though the products are insanely available.
I travel a lot and therefore Booking.com is a very familiar site. It is one of the world’s largest travels booking services that I have trusted. They use e.g. SSL browsing (Secure Socket Layer) and they comply with GDPR regulations. The websites have a comprehensive data protection statement that contains very detailed information on how personal data is processed and shared, as well as how it utilizes social media and artificial intelligence. The price level is cheaper the more you make reservations through the site. I checked without discounts, so the reservations made through it are still cheaper than those made directly from the accommodation’s website.
Syöpätalo.fi
Syöpätalo.fi is one part of Terveykylä.fi-services. Terveyskylä is a digital health service platform provided by all university hospitals in Finland. It contains more than 30 virtual houses built around different themes, which offer versatile and, above all, reliable information and support to citizens.
Syöpätalo.fi provides information about different cancers, their symptoms, treatment methods and self-care instructions during and after treatment. Patients and their relatives receive information about the different stages of the treatment path, and advice on where to seek, for example, psychological and social support for a changed life situation.
Some of the hospitals have also created digital treatment paths in the service, which enable electronic transactions with healthcare. Patients can receive, for example, advices and guidance remotely.
“Digital gap”
The basic principles of health are equality and justice. The health is everyone’s basic right. For this reason, special attention should be made to elderly citizens – to securing their digital participation and access to health services. People with an immigrant background and those with a low socio-economic status also have challenges in digital environments.
In the “Health Literacy and Digital Health Literacy in Health Promotion”-online course, I got to know the so-called to the digital gap. According to WHO (2021), health literacy is skills that determine an individual’s ability to acquire, understand, evaluate and use information and services in a way that promotes health and well-being. Digital health literacy, on the other hand, means the ability to use digital technology and digital services (Hänninen et al. 2021, 21).
The people who suffer the most from poor health literacy are those who are otherwise in a disadvantageous position in society in terms of their well-being. They are unable to participate fully in managing their own affairs. Their biggest challenges are in the availability of technology and digital skills. The devices are expensive, and the loved ones are far away. It may be that the connections do not work in rural areas or that the vocabulary related to digitization is foreign.
As a healthcare professional, my task is to strengthen citizens’ health literacy. It’s about directing people to reliable, evidence-based sources. These include, for example, various patient instructions and digital environments such as Terveyskylä.fi and OmaOlo.
Self evaluation
Digital services make it easier for the customer to make contact to healthcare regardless of time and place. It helps citizens to take a more active role in caring for their own health and well-being. For digital transactions to be a pleasant option for a person, the services must be accessible, easy to use and secure. Welfare areas need digital development in many different areas in order to offer better and more efficient services to citizens. Now that everyone is “under the same roof”, cooperation is especially needed to achieve goals. Digitization brings equality because it is accessible to everyone. However, knowledge/skills and inadequate equipment still bring inequality. However, those who use digital methods do not burden health centers. This leaves time for those who don’t have the skills for digital services.
Writing a blog is new to me. I’m also not used to commenting on other people’s blogs. It’s been fun to read other people’s thoughts about the changing world, and how they’ve experienced it.
I’m studying to become a digital expert in the social and health sector, so this topic is my passion. I have always been interested in the development of technology. At the age of 47, I have had time to see big changes both as an individual and as a healthcare professional. The world changes, and so do I 🙂
Hänninen, R. ym. (2021). Digiosallisuuden käsite ja keskeiset osa-alueet: Digiosallisuus Suomessa -hankkeen väliraportti. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-383-287-9. Viitattu 5.9.2024.
World Health Organization. (2021). Health promotion glossary of terms 2021. World HealthOrganization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/350161 Viitattu 5.9.2024.
I have commented on the following blogs:
Hello! Thank you for an interesting blog article!
As I have no prior experience with Finnish services such as Kela, Keva, or OmaKanta, it was informative to read what kind of information is available and how accessible the websites themselves are. Especially the part about terveyskylä.fi and syöpätalo.fi was intriguing as it provided a glimpse into an aspect of Finnish healthcare while also presenting in a trove of healthcare-related information in Finnish.
I agree with you on the digital gap that senior citizens and other more vulnerable groups should get more attention when it comes to digital access and health literacy. Digital solutions provide the elderly with mobility problems opportunities to contact their healthcare providers more easily, but only if they have the necessary skills and tools available to them.
Link to my blog: https://blogi.savonia.fi/kathyrannaste/digi-citizen/ .
Digital cap also made me think a lot. How will we be able to offer everyone equal opportunities for participation and services in the future. Inequality is increasing in Finland all the time. I also thought about what will happen to humanity when digitalization takes over the space from face-to-face services.
My blog: https://blogi.savonia.fi/satusoininen/