HARTFORD, Conn. -- In an emergency, every second counts.

But, if you find yourself in an emergency room in Connecticut, some residents say you better be prepared to wait for several hours.

Terri Provost said a sudden headache landed her in the emergency room a year ago. But, after she checked in, she said she waited 16 hours to see a neurologist.

"They put me on a stretcher in a brightly lit hallway all night long and the next day rolled around and they ended up admitting me into the hospital," she said.

York Mario said a freak accident on his bicycle was so bad he was rushed to the emergency room by ambulance. Soon after he arrived, he said the rushing stopped.

"Apparently I was on the gurney in the hospital for about six hours with road rash, a broken ACL joint and a concussion, and no one was attending to my needs," he said.

Both said they were in need of emergency care, but all they could do was wait.

The latest study from the Cambridge Health Alliance shows they're not alone.

It documents frightening treatment delays for all patients, especially those who are critically ill.

A 2007 study by a health care research firm ranks Connecticut 35th worst in the nation for emergency room wait times.

On average, Connecticut patients are waiting a little more than four hours according to the study. That is in line with the national average.

Dr. AJ Smally, of Hartford Hospital, said, "I think the main thing to blame is the aging of the population. Sicker, older people, multiple people in nursing homes who are sent to the hospital for an evaluation of treatment that they probably wouldn't want."

Dr. Patrick Broderick, of Danbury Hospital, said, “One out of every three elderly patients that comes to the emergency department will likely culminate in an admission."

Between 1993 and 2003, ER visits by people 65 and older increased 26 percent. That number is expected to double in the next five years.

"At any one point, their can be five or six people on stretchers from nursing homes waiting, coming in the door, waiting for the nurse to triage them," Smally said.

At Hartford Hospital, doctors said ER wait times are better than they were six months ago.

"We're still not doing as well as we'd like,” Smally said. “We still have people who are sick who are waiting a couple hours to be seen."

In Danbury, they are also feeling the effects of an aging population. Broderick said, “This is not a new problem but it's certainly getting a lot more attention now than it did 10, 15, 20 years ago."

Broderick heads up the Emergency Medicine Department at Danbury Hospital and said wait times are considerably lower than the national average. He said it is because of a proactive plan to prevent backups by partnering with radiology, ER transport, lab services and case management.

"This is a hospital overcrowding situation. The ER just happens to be the entry point for patients where they will tend to the backlog or gridlock will being to occur," he said.

Not only that, Broderick said hospital officials are also practicing bedside registration, which can cut wait times by almost an hour.

"We’ve thrown a lot of resources at the arrival of a patient so that your arrival is not hampered by registration," he said.

Many emergency rooms are also making their waiting rooms more comfortable to compensate for the wait.

Doctors stress that life-threatening cases will get immediate assistance, while patients with less severe symptoms will likely wait.

There are some things that will make your trip to the ER a little smoother.

First, doctors said to call ahead. If you're not going by ambulance you might be able to find a less crowded ER elsewhere.

Second, bring all of your medical information, including prescriptions and your doctor's name and phone number.

Finally, documenting everything will come in handy when you get the bill.