The responsibility to care: lessons learned from emergency department workers' perspectives during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.

Background: This study's objective was to examine emergency department (ED) workers' perspectives during the Canadian COVID-19 first wave.

Methods: This qualitative study included workers from nine Canadian EDs who participated in 3 monthly video focus groups between April and July 2020 to explore (1) personal/professional experiences, (2) patient care and ED work, (3) relationships with teams, institutions and governing bodies. Framework analysis informed data collection and analysis.