NA fields

[jim-sheldon]

From @aimeehan1: Should we have NA fields or just leave blank? Recommendation to leave blank

[sadiekelly]

I agree with blank rather than NA

[stanislaw-zakrzewski]

I also think blank makes sense, as NA already implies that this field had been set before.

[JacqSauer]

Having just a blank field would work. If you look at the original mpox line list, some data fields/entries have blank spaces while some have "NA." A blank column and "NA" have the same meaning (i.e., we do not have the information based on our sources). Removing the "NA" option would ensure that our data entry process is consistent.

During the exercise, some curators would put "NA" for missing and others would leave those spaces blank. I think removing the NA option (again) would help fix this and standardize our process. Plus, there is no option at the moment to clear out these fields in the portal if a junior curator selected "NA" or another option from the drop-down but the senior curator did not agree. Adding an option to clear these fields can be mentioned in a separate ticket as needed.