Health professionals at the General Practice Training and Education Conference were told on Wednesday that prescription drug abuse was widespread and nuanced with no clear-cut solution.

Speaker Genevieve Yates said people who abused prescription medication regularly tried their luck with new doctors, particularly those at after-hours or bulk-billing clinics, and practices with a high patient turnover.

‘‘Junior doctors are more likely to get this sort of patient ... and if that junior doctor does give the script, then they’ll tell their network,’’ Dr Yates said.

‘‘It isn’t that people seeking the drugs are bad people or the doctor is a bad doctor, it’s a much more nuanced field.’’

Pharmaceutical drug misuse is a widespread and growing problem in Australia, and Tasmania has led the nation in the electronic recording of controlled drugs with the Drugs and Poisons Information System Online Remote Access, or DORA, first implemented in 2012.

The system is a controlled drug electronic register integrated with pharmacy dispensing software accessible by prescribers and pharmacists alike.

It allows doctors to view the patient’s history, including recently prescribed opioid medications, and whether the patient was declared drug dependent within provisions of the Poisons Act (Tasmania).

Long-time Launceston pharmacist Harvey Cuthill said it was his understanding that Tasmania did not have the prevalence of prescription drug abuse noted in other states but that clinical research overlaid with the state’s disease and age burden was yet to be completed.

He said anecdotal evidence still pointed to the misuse of pharmaceuticals in the state.

‘‘It is something of a grave concern to us and some anecdotal evidence tells us it can be a bigger problem in our community and reasons given for this include the lack of street drugs,’’ Mr Cuthill said.

‘‘People are making up symptoms and choosing not to take the medication but on-sell it to another party.

‘‘There is no question, we do see more prescriptions for strong painkillers.’’

Dr Yates said the prevalence of the prescription drug abuse nationally was apparent in attendance at Wednesday’s session, where she spoke to an overflowing room.

The General Practice Training and Education Conference will continue in Hobart on Thursday.