helped field desperate inquiries

[GoodTaste]

Once a tell-tale sign of COVID-19, smell disruption is becoming less common as the virus evolves. “Our inboxes are not as flooded as they used to be,” says Valentina Parma, a psychologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who helped field desperate inquiries from patients throughout the first two years of the pandemic.

Source: Nature

Does "field" here simpl y mean "deal with"? Or does it mean "go deep into patients (for medical survey)"?

 

[emsr2d2]

Does "field" here simply mean "deal with" no question mark here or does it mean "go deep into patients (for medical survey)"?

In that context, it means "deal with". It is also commonly used to mean "fend off", meaning to deal with by not actually responding!

I think I've pointed out to you before that you shouldn't use two separate questions separated by "or". Use one sentence, with "or" in the middle, and just one question mark at the very end.