Conceptualising the prevention of adverse obstetric outcomes among immigrants using the 'three delays' framework in a high-income context

► Conceptual study to explore socio-cultural factors and prevention of adverse obstetric outcomes in high-income settings. ► Applied 'three delays' framework to understand maternal care-seeking and health facility utilisation of African immigrants. ► Phase 1 delays are due to mutual broken trust for women/providers and negative responses to future care-seeking. ► Phase 2 delays to facility-level care result from miscommunication and suboptimal interpreter use and services. ► Phase 3 delays to facility care encounter from non-reciprocal trust, communication and care conceptualisations, and inadequate levels of staff/guidelines.